Outside linebacker Malcolm Smith of the Seattle Seahawks carries the ball against running back Knowshon Moreno of the Denver Broncos in the second quarter of Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, N.J.Stephen Dunn
/ Getty Images

Head coach Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks talks with running back Marshawn Lynch during the second quarter of Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, N.J.Jamie Squire
/ Getty Images

Kicker Matt Prater of the Denver Broncos reacts after kicking the ball 52 yards for it be caught and run 87 yards back by wide receiver Percy Harvin of the Seattle Seahawks for a touchdown in the third quarter of Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, N.J.Jeff Gross
/ Getty Images

Cornerback Richard Sherman of the Seattle Seahawks walks off the field at the end of the second quarter against the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, N.J.Kevin C. Cox
/ Getty Images

Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas of the Denver Broncos goes up to catch a ball he fumbles against middle linebacker Bobby Wagner of the Seattle Seahawks in the third quarter during Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, N.J.Kevin C. Cox
/ Getty Images

Running back Knowshon Moreno of the Denver Broncos carries the ball against free safety Earl Thomas of the Seattle Seahawks in the second quarter during Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, N.J.Rob Carr
/ Getty Images

Quarterback Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks calls a play during the second half of Super Bowl XLVIII against the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, N.J.Elsa
/ Getty Images

Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas of the Denver Broncos scores a touchdown on a 14-yard pass during Super Bowl XLVIII against the Seattle Seahawks at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, N.J.Christian Petersen
/ Getty Images

Outside linebacker Malcolm Smith of the Seattle Seahawks runs back an interception for 69 yards off quarterback Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos during the second quarter of Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, N.J.Win McNamee
/ Getty Images

Running back Knowshon Moreno of the Denver Broncos is tackled by defensive end Chris Clemons (No. 91) and defensive end Cliff Avril (56) of the Seattle Seahawks in the first quarter of Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, N.J.Kevin C. Cox
/ Getty Images

Running back Knowshon Moreno of the Denver Broncos is tackled by defensive end Chris Clemons (No. 91), defensive end Cliff Avril (56) and middle linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) of the Seattle Seahawks in the first quarter of Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, N.J.Ronald Martinez
/ Getty Images

Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas of the Denver Broncos catches the ball during the first quarter of Super Bowl XLVIII against the Seattle Seahawks at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, N.J.Win McNamee
/ Getty Images

Quarterback Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks runs with the ball during the first quarter of Super Bowl XLVIII against the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, N.J.Tom Pennington
/ Getty Images

Kicker Steven Hauschka of the Seattle Seahawks kicks off to start the game against the Denver Broncos in the first quarter of Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014.Stephen Dunn
/ Getty Images

Quarterback Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos looks for the ball as it flies over his head in the first quarter against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, N.J.Ronald Martinez
/ Getty Images

Quarterback Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks runs with ball during the first quarter of Super Bowl XLVIII against the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, N.J.Tom Pennington
/ Getty Images

Quarterback Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos runs off the field after the Seattle Seahawks get a safety on the first play of the game in the first quarter of Super Bowl XLVIII between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014.Ronald Martinez
/ Getty Images

Ann Judge-Wegener rides Thunder leading the Denver Broncos onto the field before playing against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, N.J.Rob Carr
/ Getty Images

Linebacker Heath Farwell of the Seattle Seahawks leads the team onto the field at the start of Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, N.J.Jeff Zelevansky
/ Getty Images

Kicker Steven Hauschka of the Seattle Seahawks kicks off at start of Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, N.J.Christian Petersen
/ Getty Images

Quarterback Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks lines up to receive ball during the first quarter of Super Bowl XLVIII against the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, N.J.Jamie Squire
/ Getty Images

Head coach Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks talks with quarterback Russell Wilson during the first quarter of Super Bowl XLVIII against the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, N.J.Tom Pennington
/ Getty Images

Quarterback Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks runs with the ball during the first quarter of Super Bowl XLVIII against the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, N.J.Win McNamee
/ Getty Images

Denver Broncos mascot Miles waves their flag as the Broncos run onto field prior to Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, N.J.Jamie Squire
/ Getty Images

Wide receiver Percy Harvin of the Seattle Seahawks runs the ball against strong safety Duke Ihenacho of the Denver Broncos in the first quarter of Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, N.J.Ronald Martinez
/ Getty Images

Quarterback Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks hands the ball to running back Marshawn Lynch during Super Bowl XLVIII against the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, N.J.Elsa
/ Getty Images

Quarterback Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos runs off the field after the Seattle Seahawks get a safety on the first play of the game in the first quarter of Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014.Ronald Martinez
/ Getty Images

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks had their way with the Denver Broncos.

And, with help from their relentless top-ranked defence, the Seahawks made Peyton Manning & Co. just plain miserable, winning 43-8 to take Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday night.

Doug Baldwin caught a pass from Russell Wilson at the goal line and pushed his way into the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown that put Seattle up by 35 points with 11:45 remaining. It was all but over from there.

Jermaine Kearse spun out of two tackle attempts for an impressive 23-yard touchdown catch with 2:58 left in the third quarter, making it 36-0.

Seattle's stingy defence took advantage of yet another turnover by Denver to set up the score. Byron Maxwell knocked the ball out of Demaryius Thomas' hands on a 23-yard reception and Malcolm Smith recovered. Six plays later, Kearse put the Seahawks (15-3) back on the scoreboard.

The Broncos avoided the shutout on the final play of the quarter on Thomas' 14-yard touchdown catch — his 12th reception of the game to set a Super Bowl record. Wes Welker then caught a 2-point conversion toss.

But Seattle got the ball right back after Denver tried an onside kick, setting up Baldwin's TD catch. The Broncos (15-3) lost All-Pro guard Louis Vasquez to a rib injury in the third quarter.

Percy Harvin returned the kickoff to open the third quarter 87 yards for a touchdown, putting the Seahawks ahead 29-0 just 12 seconds after the teams returned from the halftime break, the Broncos' biggest deficit of the season.

Harvin, who missed most of the season with injuries, initially struggled fielding the short kickoff but then burst up the middle and cut left once he was in the clear. It was the second straight Super Bowl the second-half kickoff was returned for a touchdown after Baltimore's Jacoby Jones did it last year.

Smith returned Manning's second interception of the game 69 yards with 3:21 left in the opening half to make it 22-0.

Seattle became the first team to hold the Broncos' record-setting offence to no points in any half this season. Denver gained 123 yards on 31 plays — averaging less than 4 yards a play.

On third-and-13 from the Seahawks 35, Manning's arm was hit by Cliff Avril as he attempted to throw a pass to Knowshon Moreno. The ball fluttered in the air to Smith, who took off down the left sideline and into the end zone untouched.

Smith had the victory-sealing interception in the NFC championship against the San Francisco 49ers on a tipped pass in the end zone by Richard Sherman.

Marshawn Lynch's 1-yard touchdown run 3 minutes into the second quarter gave the Seahawks a 15-0 lead over the Broncos to cap a drive that came after Manning's first interception. Kam Chancellor picked off a pass that was too high and intended for Julius Thomas.

The key play for Seattle came on the first play of the drive, a 15-yard run by Harvin, who has 45 yards rushing for Seattle.

Manning and Denver's high-powered offence looked uncharacteristically sloppy and unproductive, with no first downs in the first 19 minutes.

On the first play from scrimmage, Broncos centre Manny Ramirez snapped the ball by Manning, who was walking up to the line and didn't have his hands ready. The ball was recovered by running back Knowshon Moreno in the end zone for a safety.

The Seahawks led 2-0 after 12 seconds, the fastest score in Super Bowl history. It was 2 seconds faster than Devin Hester's kickoff return for a score in 2007.

Seattle made it 5-0 on the ensuing possession when Steven Hauschka kicked a 31-yard field goal following a false start penalty on a drive helped by a 30-yard run by Harvin, who missed almost the entire season with injuries.

After Manning and the Broncos went three-and-out, Wilson led an impressive 13-play drive, capped by Hauschka's 33-yard field goal that made it 8-0 with 2:16 left in the opening quarter. Seattle nearly had more as Baldwin caught a pass from Wilson in the back of the end zone on third-and-goal from the 14, but Nate Irving slapped it out of the wide receiver's hands.

The first Super Bowl played outdoors at a cold-weather site was an abnormally warm 49 degrees at kickoff at MetLife Stadium and hardly the winter wonderland many expected for the NFL's biggest game.

Many fans in the jam-packed stands were able to shed their heavy winter coats, sporting their orange Manning jerseys and blue and green Wilson and Sherman jerseys.

While the New York-New Jersey area was expected to get hit with snow Monday morning, the record for coldest Super Bowl remained the 1972 game in New Orleans, where it was 39.

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.